The pandemic has meant hard times for the aviation and tourism industries, with hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers cancelling trips this summer.
Edinburgh Airport has not been spared, seeing a massive decline in flights over the lockdown period and even as restrictions ease, many people are still unwilling to fly.
Government advice on which destinations can be visited without quarantine can change overnight, leaving holidaymakers scrambling for last-minute transport home to avoid having to quarantine.
Against this backdrop of reduced flight numbers Edinburgh Airport have welcomed a new addition to its roster of flights.
The inaugural flight between Edinburgh Airport and Belfast City Airport with Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air, took iff last Friday (August 27).
Aer Lingus Regional’s new daily service will operate up to three flights a day between Edinburgh and Belfast City and will become the airline’s fourth route to and from Edinburgh after Dublin, Cork and Shannon.
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport said:
“It’s always great to see airlines growing their presence at Edinburgh Airport but we’re especially excited to see this route commence considering the difficulties of the last few months.
“Stobart Air and Aer Lingus Regional are close partners of ours and their confidence in Edinburgh and Scotland is clear. We welcome their decision to grow their presence here and provide increased links between our capital cities, and we look forward to working with each other to make the route a success and identify other potential opportunities.”
Commenting on the announcement, Stobart Air Managing Director Andy Jolly said:
“We are pleased to establish a base at Belfast City Airport and to work closely with Edinburgh Airport, Belfast City Airport and our partners Aer Lingus to operate flights to and from Edinburgh."
“Stobart Air has worked hard over the past number of months to protect our airline during challenging times and to position us for the future. The launch of this service is part of that.
“This new Aer Lingus Regional route will facilitate key links and connectivity between these cities and ensure we provide choice, value and convenience for our customers. We look forward to welcoming our passengers on board this new -Edinburgh-Belfast route from today.”
